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Lesson Introduction
Of course, being a single man-about-town in a city chock-full of laowai-hungry gals this phrase will not come in handy at all. But, on the off-chance you find yourself being pursued, listen to this podcast and learn the language of getting hit-on, in Mandarin Chinese.
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Out of consideration for our Newbie and Elementary users, English translations should be provided with any Chinese (characters or pinyin) written in Newbie and Elementary lesson discussion posts. New lesson idea? Please let us know on our contact page.
arofiq says
VERY GOOD. TO HELP WHO WANT TO LEARN CHINESE QUICKLY. BUT THE BETTER IF THERE ARE TRANSLATOR OR DICTIONARY FOR ALL LANGUAGE FOR WHOM CAN'T SPEAK ENGLISH LANGUAGE. THANKSNovember 10, 2007
changye says
I had a number of 女的朋友 in my school days, but few 女朋友. Looks like my lovely dog has no 男朋友.November 10, 2007
lephuc says
well,I 've star to learn Chinese, but I haven't been able to read it yet. Whocan help me?November 11, 2007
lephuc says
I pleased about it. It can also help me to ask myfriend: Do you have an another girlfriend?November 11, 2007
bazza says
Would it be correct to say this? 我和朱琦是男女朋友。 wŏ hé zhūqí shì nánnǚ péngyou. Obviously it's not true though. ;)November 11, 2007
lenajun says
still cant believe we get this stuff for free, its amazing, thank you guys!November 11, 2007
excuter says
I think it´s more natural to say: 我和朱齐是朋友们 - wǒ hé zhū qí shì péng yǒu men I and Zhu Qi are friends but you are more advanced so I dunno for real (and I didn´t listen to the lesson yet)November 11, 2007
wildyaks says
and I can't download it or open it. Only the first 20 seconds played... What's the problem? I have been unable to download lessons for a week now!!!November 11, 2007
sebire says
Does 女朋友 also mean "friend who is female"?November 11, 2007
ingmar says
Changye, Re-writing the Chinese of your first sentence into PinYin it becomes: I had a number of nude pengyou in my school days..... Mmmmm, interesting !!November 11, 2007
rich says
Sebire, does "girlfriend" mean friend who is a girl? :) Well, the question is, if a Chinese girl says 女朋友 does that just mean one of her friends, like if a girl says "She is my girlfriend" it in English? But to answer Sebire's question, 女朋友 is typically for a girl who is in a relationship, like English girlfriend. 女的朋友 is female friend, 男的朋友 is male friend. 男女朋友, as Bazza used in his example, is "boyfriend and girlfriend", so Excuter, while your statement is true in regards to welcoming Bazza back to real life, it changed the meaning of Bazza's fantasy. ;)November 11, 2007
excuter says
感谢你Rich :-)November 11, 2007
RonInDC says
I saw this topic and said 'Why, as a matter of fact, I don't have a girlfriend.' then I see it's just a lesson. Shoot.November 11, 2007
sebire says
See, I never say "I'm hanging out with my girlfriends", because it just sounds weird. "I'm goin' out wif me mates" is more my kind of thing... I love the fact that in one of the first chinese lessons I'd had in about 10 years, I learnt "I don't have a boyfriend". But even then, the teacher asked the german dude if he had a girlfriend (女朋友 not 女的朋友) and he said he had lots, and no one sniggered...November 11, 2007
sebire says
Ingmar - you make me want to make snide comments about single-sex boarding schools...November 11, 2007
kibadamo says
how do you type the chinese characters i looked on my keyboard there aren't any! it is the first time i have logged on and i had my first chinese lesson last week. I learned ni hao, xiexie, ni jiao shen me! thats about it. I will keep an eye on this web and hopefully one day i will be able to write and speak. I can add any comments in chinese till i have figured how to write the characters. XiexieNovember 11, 2007
bazza says
我从来没有女朋友。November 11, 2007
excuter says
白说 我也没有女朋友 ;-(November 11, 2007
excuter says
kibadamo - just install the eastasienlanguage IME (under windows) (there is an explanation at the help-section if you don´t know how to install it and stuff...).November 11, 2007
RonInDC says
Baz- You mean that's not your girlfriend in your avatar? She looks familiar, by the way.November 11, 2007
bazza says
We do look cute together don't we? ;)November 11, 2007
kxikxao says
Expansion is very good, because I control my chinese phrase in my head and inmediatly can see the right form.November 11, 2007
changye says
Hi ingmar! Thanks a lot for your encouraging comment. The days of my youth seem to have been much more fulfilling and significant than I remember now. Hi Bazza, I always envy you for having such a nice avatar. Your daughter is very beautiful.November 11, 2007
john says
When I arrived in China as a young single guy, I was shocked at how often girls would ask me this question. Even when I taught English and introduced myself on the first day of class, when I gave them Q&A time, someone would always ask (sometimes a girl, sometimes a guy). No, it's not just me... the kids in Hangzhou seemed intensely interested in the love life of a foreigner.November 11, 2007
amber says
Hi Bazza, Your sentence is perfect. 我和朱琦是男女朋友。 wŏ hé zhūqí shì nánnǚ péngyou I guess that's what you get when your g-friend is Jenny, hehe... perfect Chinese :)November 11, 2007
bazza says
changye, I'm only about 5 years older than Jenny (I think). :PNovember 11, 2007
amber says
sebire, In Chinese, if you say 女朋友 (nǚpéngyou) it definitely has romantic connotations. Generally, a girl's friend of the same sex would just be referred to as 朋友 (péngyou). If you wanted to specify though, you could say 女性朋友 (nǚxìng péngyou).November 11, 2007
amber says
wildyaks, I tried the MP3 and it works OK for me. I think the internet in China has been sketchy this week.November 11, 2007
wildyaks says
amber, just got online again for another try. Still immensly slow and not sure it will get anywhere. I guess I will have to be patient and hope that the internet will improve in the next few days.November 11, 2007
bazza says
What does it mean if a girl askes to try on your glasses? :)November 12, 2007
yesenia says
This is really good!! Feichang hao!(sorry that this computer does not have the tones in them)November 12, 2007
rjberki says
Hey Baz, it means she wanted to see what you looked like without glasses. :-)November 12, 2007
bazza says
I think she just wanted to compare eyesight, she had glasses and she asked me to try hers. It turned out we had pretty much the same eyesight.November 12, 2007
sebire says
Cheers Amber!November 12, 2007
xiaodu says
加油，顶，顶，顶。November 12, 2007
littlepatch says
老婆 is more popular in the youngNovember 13, 2007
lydia1981 says
我有女朋友 :-)November 13, 2007
bazza says
你是同性吗？ :)November 13, 2007
lydia1981 says
对，我是 同性恋/同志/断背 什么的 当然我也有女性朋友啊 ：-) ( advanced课 0443 有很多“同性恋” 的同义词)November 13, 2007
lydia1981 says
还有，我 祝你加油，Bazza，你肯定会找到适合你的女朋友！ 那么幽默，聪明的男人，女生一定会很喜欢啊！November 13, 2007
rich says
Uh, 白说, was this Jenny that tried on your classes? Woo! ;) Hmm... Does Jenny even wear classes? Well, most Chinese do, but I can't imagine Jenny in glasses. 她戴隐形眼镜(contacts)吗？ And don't no one go saying I have a 孙女儿 in my photo!! (that would just be sad, and would mean I'm Bazza's dad) -RNovember 13, 2007
rich says
glasses...classes....whatever. Guess I'm thinking too much about my Chinese culture classes I'm far behind in.November 13, 2007
bazza says
No it wasn't Jenny, I meet 3 tourists (2 girls and a guy) from Beijing passing in the street and got talking to them and hung out for a bit. They invited me to a teahouse which proofed pretty expensive but it was worth the experience and I came away with 3 tins of tea in a nice box and a little tea pot.November 13, 2007
RonInDC says
Jenny is quite the trophy.November 13, 2007
changye says
Hi Rich, As well as Bazza, you lucky guy has also just started showing off your beautiful SISTER. How envious! Hi Bazza, I suppose that you enjoyed experiencing a traditional Chinese tea ceremony then. That is really great!November 13, 2007
excuter says
I also enjoyed a real chinese tea ceremony once, but it was in Hamburg on the chinese market (at the Alster) and at that time I hadn´t even started at cpod so I couldn´t chat with them after the show wich kinda botherd me!November 14, 2007
john says
Bazza, Are you serious? That is a classic scam that gets played on tourists. I'm guessing this happened on Nanjing Road?November 14, 2007
bazza says
People's Square. They did pay half the bill between the 3 of them.November 14, 2007
undermark5 says
你好November 15, 2007
cassielin says
Do you have a boy friend? 你有男朋友吗？ ni you nan peng you ma? No, i don't have. 我没有男朋友。 wo mei you nan peng you. I can introduce you a date guy. 我可以给你介绍一个约会对象。 wo ke yi gei ni jie shao yi ge yue hui dui xiang.November 15, 2007
chittywangwang says
haha Bazza. My guess is that merchandise was worth a nice 10% at most of its value. The Ah yes, the Chinese can make a business out of anything...including knowing how to scam naive foreigners. on his frist day in china my friend payed 650 kuai taxi fare from pudong airport to lujiazui...then was approached by art students on nanjing road - you can guess what happened next...November 16, 2007
bazza says
I don't think it was intended as a scam, I they were going there anyway and just met me on the way. The one that tried my glasses on, give me her mobile no and email and she's now one of my facebook friends. ;)November 17, 2007
bazza says
650? That is a lot, I went from pudong to hailun lu via the maglev and subway so it cost me 54 I think.November 17, 2007
changye says
Hi Bazaa, Thanks a lot for your believing in us Asian people.November 17, 2007
sebire says
Are scams particularly rife then? I didn't think there was much of a problem with that in China.November 17, 2007
RonInDC says
Bazza- I don't think anyone was suggesting that you new friends were scammers. If so, doesn't sound particularly lucrative ;-) And I might call the tea house a tourist trap, but scam might be strong. Sebire- Common sense pretty much keeps you out of trouble. And I found saying 'Buyong!' really stopped people cold and even led to a couple of friendly chats.November 17, 2007
chittywangwang says
he paid 650 because when he arrived in China, wide eyed, tired and ignorant, a guy said to him "taxi?" and he followed. IT was a "black" cab so he charged whatever he wanted. It made me rather mad when I heard the story. Another friend got a motorbike ride and he thought it should be 5, but at the end he asked for 50. His chinese wasnt good enough to argue so he had to pay. Worst thing was a group of onlookers took sides with the cheating motorbike man. Of course i truely beleive the majority of chinese people are very honest but just like anywhere there are bad eggs. You have to be vigilant, but as a new person in China its often difficult to know what is the right price (just go to the fake markets and see Mr Joe America thinking he is getting a great price on his "real" watch for 400 kuai)November 18, 2007
chittywangwang says
of course it works both ways...I cheat Chinese people everday. I for example often pretend to like my boss and my workmates. its a lie....November 18, 2007
mrefaat84 says
i am here in china from about 7 monthes in yiwu zhejiang and untill now can`t speake chinese and also didnt find any girl to be my friend !!!!!!!!November 18, 2007
chittywangwang says
you should work harderNovember 18, 2007
a1pi2 says
The teahouse is a scam. I've been working in Shanghai a few weeks and have been asked *exactly* the same question around People's Square at least 40 times over the 4 days or so I've spent around Raffles and the museums. "Hi, how are you? What country are you from?" When people phrase it exactly the same, with the same intonation and the same fake smile, it's a script. I've taken to having fun with my responses. 我不会说英文。你会说法文吗？They are usually shocked that a white person speaks any Chinese. There are some days when it's hard to be laowai in China. It's a lovely country but both friends and strangers constantly remind me just how inclusive and diverse America is. I'm well aware of America's discriminatory past and bigoted present but at least our vendors charge everyone the same prices. Chinese translation: I can't speak English. Can you speak French?November 23, 2007
kkythapa says
Da jia hao, Nimen Pinyin xie de hen haoNovember 23, 2007
kkythapa says
How does one write in chinese script here. Would appreciate if any of you could let me know. xie xieNovember 23, 2007
a1pi2 says
kkythapa: Add an input language to your operating system. If you're using Vista, help is at the link below. You can do the same on XP or Mac OS but the input language tool is nowhere near as nice : ( http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/52e368fa-bd32-4749-955e-331f9130889f1033.mspxNovember 23, 2007
sarbear3686 says
Actually you saying that about asking them to speak French brings back some funny memories. My husband and i spent six weeks in Beijing over last Christmas while i was studying Chinese at Beijing Language and Cultural University. By about the second week he was so fed up with being approached by Chinese people that he started getting annoyed. He's South African so he just started speakign Afrikaans and after a couple of sentences the Chinese people would give up on speaking English to him. I didn't mind them though because everyone who spoke to me i would just answer in Chinese and then it would start an unrelated conversation in Chinese and apart from usually being very interesting, every chance to improve my Chinese is one I have to take up :). I wish i could come back for a bit. Hard when you're married though :)November 24, 2007
raphaelcoelho says
Jenny, do you have a boyfriend?November 27, 2007
chittywangwang says
I am Jennys BoyfriendNovember 27, 2007
bazza says
。oO(must resist commenting)November 28, 2007
jonsnow says
Hi Guys Sweet lesson, can anyone help me out? I'm trying to buy computer games in mandarin (metal gear solid) and final fantasy 10....I've literally scoured the net but obviously I can't read traditional chinese) can someone point me to computer games in mandarin...as it seems as if they only play computer games in english or japanese! email never.winter.nights@live.co.uk, that would be awesome ^_^November 28, 2007
raphaelcoelho says
Wow, Jenny... seems like you have many boyfriends or at least many on the line... I know private lessons are so much better ;)November 29, 2007
kibadamo says
Thanks Excuter for your suggestion on installing the chinese characters. I was away and just read your comments. Xiexie.December 15, 2007
vann0000 says
I can see where this would come in handy...December 16, 2007
electrician says
我还是没有女朋友~~！February 14, 2008
light487 says
Oooh.. this could come in handy.. :) I am a single guy after all.. :) lolApril 18, 2008
hitokiri6993 says
我有一個女朋友. 她是韓國人. 她的名字是서주현 (not to be mistaken to the singer of the same name..she's not related to her) . 哈哈..她是原因我也學習韓國語.我真的愛她.但她不要學習中文...哈哈...:(.April 18, 2008
chingrisherman says
你又要中国女朋友。May 26, 2008
chingrisherman says
May 27, 2008
Wait meant to say was actually
我又想中国女朋友。